FLOOR CONSTRUCTION (BUILDINGS)

Abstract: A floor construction of wood panels (12) overlying a base support (11) with a layer (13) of yieldably resilient materials (14, 15) sandwiched between the panels (12) and the base support (11). The materials (14, 15) are of mutually different stiffnesses, one being a relatively large main panel area of an open-cellular material (14) and the other being a relatively small area of a closed-cellular material (15) in the form of strips bordering the main panel area. The open-cellular material (14) provides a large degree of vibration isolation, whilst the closed-cellular (stiffer) material (15) stabilises the panels in the vicinity of panel-to-panel joints and/or the floor periphery.

Description: FLOOR CONSTRUCTION (BUILDINGS. This invention relates to floor constructions in buildings and other structures having floor construction and is concerned particularly with the attenuation of sound transmitted through such constructions. The invention relates also to panel assemblies for use in such floor constructions and for use in other similar constructions involving surfaces subject to various loadings. According to the present invention, there is provided a floor construction comprising a base support having a continuous or an effectively continuous supporting surface, flooring panels laid over said supporting surface, and sandwiched between said flooring panels and the supporting surface a layer containing mutually adjacent areas of yieldably resilient materials of mutually different stiffnesses. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a panel assembly for use in a floor construction as aforesaid, comprising a panel having attached to one side thereof a layer containing mutually adjacent areas of yieldably resilient materials of mutually different stiffnesses. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation (not to scale) of a flooring construction in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view on the underside of a panel assembly appearing in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line III-III in Fig. 2. In Fig. 1, part of a building wall and floor are represented by reference numerals 10, 11 respectively. The floor 11 is of concrete construction having a continuous top surface 11A to provide a base support for a floor construction. Rectangular flooring panels 12 are laid over the base floor 11, and sandwiched between the flooring panels 12 and the top surface 11A of the base floor 11 is a layer indicated generally by reference numeral 13 containing mutually adjacent areas of yieldably resilient materials 14, 15 of mutually different stiffnesses. More particularly, each flooring panel 12 consists of a sheet of plywood 1200mm x 600mm and 9mm thick, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. On one side of each flooring panel 12, a relatively large area is covered by the relatively low stiffness material 14 in two 8mm thick rectangular sheets as shown in Fig. 2. The relatively high stiffness material is present as 8mm thick x 50mm wide strips arranged regularly around the low stiffness material. The high stiffness material strips 15 extend beyond the periphery of the panel 12 for the purpose of overlapping an adjacent panel 12 or for the purpose of providing a returned at the strip 15A periphery of the floor construction as shown in Fig. 1 adjacent the wall 10. To facilitate the returning of peripheral strips 15A, the strips are longitudinally slit as indicated by reference numeral 16. The relatively low stiffness material is an open-cell polymer foam having a static deflection ("stiffness") of the order of 4mm under a loading of 8000 pascals; and the relatively high stiffness material is a closed-cell polymer foam having a static deflection or stiffness of the order lmm under a loading of 8000 pascals. The floor construction described above has an advantageously small overall thickness dimension. The 9mm thick plywood flooring panels 12 are stabilised, particularly at the panel-to-panel joints, by means of the relatively high stiffness material 15 whilst the relatively low stiffness material 14 provides a large degree of vibration isolation. The entire set of flooring panels 12 is supported resiliently. Modifications of the above described floor construction, within the scope of the claims appended hereto, include the use of a base support of material other than concrete. For example, the base support may be made of wood boards or the like. Also, the supporting surface of the base support need not be fully continuous but should be effectively continuous. A base support comprising perforated or apertured or expanded materials would have an effectively continuous supporting surface in the present context. Also, the strips 15 of relatively high stiffness material need not extend beyond the periphery of each panel 12; and the panels 12 may be of a wide variety of materials including timber, chipboard, hardboard, fibreboard, plastics and metals. It will be understood that a large variety of patterns may be used for the different areas of the yieldably resilient materials; and the appropriate thicknesses and stiffnesses can be determined readily by simple experiment. Further, it is anticipated that the yieldably resilient materials need not be of cellular characteristic. For example, the relatively high stiffness material may in some applications be solid rubber or the like.It is anticipated that panel assemblies such as described herein may be used in other applications or constructions involving surfaces subject to various loadings. For example, wall constructions or enclosure constructions subject to impact in environments such as games rooms and the like.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A floor construction comprising a base support (11) having a continuous or an effectively continuous supporting surface (11A) , flooring panels (12) laid over said supporting surface (11A) , and sandwiched between said flooring panels (12) and the supporting surface (11A) a layer (13) containing mutually adjacent areas of yieldably resilient materials (14, 15) of mutually different stiffnesses. 2. A floor construction according to claim 1, wherein said layer (13) comprises a relatively large area of material (14) of relatively low stiffness, and a relatively small area of material (15) of relatively high stiffness. 3.A floor construction according to claim 2, wherein the high stiffness material (15) is arranged as a strip bordering the low stiffness material (14) . 4. A floor construction according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least some of the high stiffness material (15) extends adjacent the periphery of each flooring panel (12) . 5. A floor construction according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a returned strip (15A) of the high stiffness material (15) extends beyond the periphery of the floor construction for reducing sound transmission between the flooring panels (12) and adjacent building parts (10) . 6. A floor construction according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the said materials (14, 15) are attached to undersides of the flooring panels (12) . 7. A floor construction according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the materials (14, 15) are cellular materials. 8. A floor construction according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the relatively low stiffness material (14) is a cellular material of open-cell construction. 9. A floor construction according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the relatively high stiffness material (15) is a cellular material of closed-cell construction. 10. A floor construction substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings. 11... A panel assembly for use in a flooring construction as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a panel (12) having attached to one side thereof a layer (13) containing mutually adjacent areas of yiedably resilient materials (14, 15) of mutually different stiffnesses.

Inventors: MACKENZIE ROBIN KENNETH, MACKENZIE, ROBIN, KENNETH
Applicants: EDINBURGH ACOUSTICAL CO LTD, MACKENZIE ROBIN KENNETH, EDINBURGH ACOUSTICAL COMPANY LIMITED, MACKENZIE, ROBIN, KENNETH
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E04F15
IPC codes: E04F15